China Restores Over 180 Million Hectares of Pastureland

China restored more than 180 million hectares of pastureland, raising the proportion of healthy or near-healthy areas to over 70 percent. The announcement came at an event marking the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in Hohhot, within the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. China holds the world’s largest area of pastureland, encompassing approximately 267 million hectares.

Over the past several years, China increased environmental conservation and restoration efforts by combining natural regeneration with restoration projects. These efforts integrate policies protecting mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, pastureland, and deserts.

From 2021 to 2025, the country averaged restoring over 3 million hectares of degraded pastureland annually, controlled pests and rodents across more than 6.6 million hectares each year, and produced over 600 million tons of fresh forage. Looking ahead to its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), China intends to expand restoration, strengthen pastureland management, and promote high-quality forage cultivation.